I'm bored.. what are you working on?

I have been making tube boxes for about a week now.. have to finish 35 of them by Sept 5.. Being an artist, I enjoy the more creative… every moment is different… kind of work… instead I am stuck ironing fabric, punching holes, cutting cardboard tubes and wood endings.. The only great thing is that I get to use a lot of different wood.. boring part is cutting 70+ 3.25” x .25” disks, drilling holes in them, and sanding them smooth… I am bored out of my mind and find myself here on LJs just to stay sane…

SO.. what are you working on.. or avoiding working on… or what is that current project you have on hold?

-- " 'Truth' is like a beautiful flower, unique to each plant and to the season it blossoms ... 'Fact' is the root and leaf, allowing the plant grow and bloom again."

20 replies so far

In the shop, I’ve mostly just been cleaning up old hand planes lately. I’ve been concentrating more on playing/writing music as a creative outlet.

I do feel your pain, though. People are always telling me I should sell things at craft shows, but most craft show customers around here are interested in cheap stuff. That means cranking out the same wine-bottle holder (or whatever) over and over again. I just can’t stand the repetition.

Alright…. music.. what genre do you play in? I have enjoyed (and been frustrated) with my assistants who were musicians. Music is important to my focus in the studio.

I am doing my first tent show Sept 9th. My last assistant was setting it up and working towards it, so I could focus on getting my bronzes completed.. but then he left me hanging, though he feels bad about it and is going to come work the show with me, still.. I have a ton of work now which I was not planning on this year. Craft is fun, but I prefer it to be social and here I am alone today.. ugh. And they are pretty cool boxes and then there is the no one to remind me to back off on the creativity and a of these “simple and cheap” boxes have become very cool. I need a regular assistant so bad.

I have also, thanks to this site.. started to fix up my trim and cooper hand planes. I got about 20 from an old farm sale.. they look great, but they just collect dust because they are so rusty… I got the blades out and half cleaned… then on hold as well till after the 9th.

-- " 'Truth' is like a beautiful flower, unique to each plant and to the season it blossoms ... 'Fact' is the root and leaf, allowing the plant grow and bloom again."

Well, as for me, I have several projects in the making: the homemade small scale bandsaw (which is near to completion now), two pencil holders for my hon, a motorized veneer / leather strips cutting contraption, a small rock tumbler (though this one is made out of plastic), the pens, a tool to carve a logo on the pens (kinda like MW’s pantorouter but way smaller and with a spherical motion), a shop-made motorized reel just for the hell of doing one, a Michelson interferometer with a marquetry topped box, and the next version of my quickslap pen lathe. To name those actually in the building process, that is. Many more are sketches or future projects. Music is great to stay inspired, as long as you don’t listen repeatedly to the same thing…

-- Thomas - Pondering the inclusion of woodworking into physics and chemistry classes...

Surfacing around 100bf of Hard Maple in the rough with hand planes, half of which is figured to some extent, with twisting, cupping, etc. – good times. The project is my new workbench. I don’t have a jointer or planer which leaves me little choice. Good exercise though.

My musical tastes run the gamut from classical to classic rock, and everything in between. Mostly what I write falls into the area you might compare with someone like James Taylor. The funny thing is that I don’t listen to music in the shop because it tends to distract me from the woodworking.

I will have to look on the real computer to see if you have posted what you are working on. I have missed a lot of posts trying to work every minute to make it selling my work.Otherwise, I have been tinkering, as soda mentioned…I want a pedal driven sander with interchangeable fittings, and I want to do something like that to fix the bandsaw too. A small lathe, just to make beads would be nice.this jewelry lady bought my necklaces and put them in the museum gift shop, so I am trying to get some purses & what not together to put in there, so I can make the full commission.

I just finished making some bowls.I started applying the finish to a pistol box that started a month ago, then it got put on the back burner. I need to get it finished.Made 80’ of 3” wide cove molding this weekend. Sanding cove molding is boring work too.Sorry to hear about the new assistant.

I am working on an entry way Table, but I am creating my own design, it’s kinda hard to explain. but it’s going to be made out of Curly Maple and paduak. the Table portion is going to be a rectangular Box shape with two drawers and the Joinery is going to be a blind secret dovetail mitered end to it. this is my first attempt at doing that joint so It will NOT be perfect.The legs will be paduak and I am going to do like a wrap around like Rail that will be connected to the front legs and the back legs will be inset. the Table top will be inset and I will be giving the top a floating appearance. I started a blog about the join, check it out if you want to. I am going to document the whole project in that blog. I already have plans for another project for a display case slash table I am thinking about in Walnut and copper.

There are several pieces of walnut laying in the shop just begging to be made into something…I’m thinking a box, but I want to kick it up a notch… inlays—and or something more..don’t know what yet…been looking on LJ’s for ideas….While thinking about it I’ve been cleaning, sharping, and checking all the shop tools..

-- To realize our true destiny, we must be guided not by a myth from our past, but by a vision of our future

Almost zero woodworking for over a month. Time to kick it back in gear.Really thinking about making a Dan version of the Andy sculpted box.I have some pattern-grade Honduran mahogany. Shines up real nice. Getting anxious to get at it.

Finishing up on an oak box and some pencil cups. They need to be done by friday and it’s been raining every day all day. I am using spray poly on them and its not drying, after 24 hours in the shop i brought them in last night they are almost dry tonight. I do have a couple nice chuncks of maple i want to make some thing with. Way to many ideas going on in my head I need to pick one and get going . I also have started on a blanket chest for my mother in law.

-- My theroy in wood working will be. If I'm not enjoying doing it i won't do it.